Love and Peace
by soundspretty
Summary: Warren/Layla. Takes place right after Will tells Layla that he's taking Gwen to Homecoming. Layla only wanted to make Will jealous, but what happens when things don’t go according to plan?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: You know the drill; I don't own the story or characters of Sky High. This story begins the morning Will tells Layla that he's taking Gwen to Homecoming. For the record, the story won't follow the movie exactly, especially in future chapters as Warren and Layla's relationship grows. And I'm also making Warren a sophomore. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

Layla felt numb. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity of it all. Here she was, prepared to spill her heart out to her best friend, only to have her world come crashing down with one simple statement. She was quiet most of the way to school, a million thoughts racing through her head yet none of them resembling a solution to her current dilemma. What was she going to do?

Will seemed almost oblivious to her disappointment as he spread his good news to the rest of their friends. Zach promptly gave him a high-five upon hearing the news, earning an eye roll from Magenta. She gave her red-headed friend a sympathetic look, her being the only other person Layla had dared to tell directly after her spontaneous confession to Warren last night.

In response, Layla shrugged her shoulders before turning back around and staring straight ahead, blocking out the surrounding voices. It's not that she was mad at Will, who wouldn't like Gwen? She was pretty and popular, not to mention smart and well, the complete opposite of herself.

These were the same thoughts running through her mind this morning at the bus stop when she approached Will excitedly, but understandably nervous, and he dropped the bombshell that put her into this zombie-like mood.

She had made up a lie about going to Homecoming, not wanting Will to try and set her up or something just as ridiculous. She didn't think she could take having to amuse someone else for a night while the man of her dreams was hanging off the every word of that...

"Who are you going with?"

Oh, crap. Layla panicked, trying to remember names of boys she knew that didn't yet have a date. Zach was sure to ask Magenta, and she certainly didn't want to get in the middle of that chaos. There was Ethan but... Layla wrinkled her nose at the thought. No, she needed someone equal to Will, someone that would make him extremely jealous. But was that the wrong thing to do? Warren said...

At that moment, Layla's eyes lit up and she turned to Will, trying to keep the smug smile off her face as she informed him that she would be going with none other than Warren Peace.

Will continued to gasp and stutter on their way to class and did nothing but complain about her choice most of the day. And it was weird, but the more he talked the angrier she became. How dare he forbid her to go with Warren? It's not like she went around trashing Gwen to his face when that was the one thing she would give anything to do right now. Warren was actually pretty decent if last night was any indication, and she wasn't sure she liked Will's growing ego to be completely honest. He made his choice, and she made that clear as she left him standing at the entrance to the cafeteria.

Layla slammed a plate of salad onto her food tray and took a deep breath before searching for a table. She spotted Warren sitting alone, as usual, and decided to take a risk.

She put down her tray and he looked up with a glare, but she just smiled in return. She informed him of her new plan, and he immediately became defensive. It probably didn't help that the rest of the gang decided to sit at their table at that moment. She threw him a guilty look and was about to tell him just to forget it when she saw Will and Gwen coming their way, arm in arm. She laughed and pretended to flirt with Warren, and her actions seemed to work as Will gave her a strange look on his way past their table.

Warren asked if this was just to make Will jealous, and Layla had the sneaking suspicion that he would stand up and announce her stupid plan to the whole student body just to spite her. To her surprise, however, he smiled a toothy grin and agreed... but not before informing her that he wouldn't rent a tux. Layla stared at him, amazed that he was so cool about the situation. She couldn't think of a word to say as he stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

Magenta nudged her and Layla snapped out of her trance. The rest of the table was looking at her as if she had grown two heads, but she just smiled slightly and picked up her fork. As she ate the rest of her lunch, she couldn't quite shake the butterfly feeling she got in her stomach every time she thought of Warren's smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Layla wasn't sure if her attempts at making Will jealous were really working. And she also wasn't sure using Warren as a bluff was doing much either. She couldn't figure out his ulterior motives in agreeing to this whole mess in the first place. He certainly didn't have anything to gain, and judging by the way his wrists starting smoking whenever she tried to flirt with him in front of Will made her think that possibly he felt the same.

After receiving a particularly nasty burn on her hand, she decided to just stop trying so hard.

She had the feeling that Gwen knew about her crush on Will, if her sneer toward Layla in the cafeteria earlier this week was any indication. She had wondered more than once if Gwen was just using him, but nothing she could think of would answer why should be would using _Will_ of all people.

Sure, his parents were famous but what exactly could Gwen obtain from that? The fact that she felt Layla was any type of a threat that she had resorted to giving her nasty looks all the time just ended up confusing the younger girl even further. Will told everyone all about how his parents loved Gwen on the bus that morning, so as far as Layla could see, the older teen had nothing to worry about.

Will had shown no indication of liking Layla as more than a friend, and until he stopped following the pretty senior around like a lovesick puppy, Layla wasn't able to divulge her little secret.

Layla never had to deal with a jealous girlfriend before, and she definitely did not like it. The few moments that the two friends could find time to talk, Gwen would be there moments later, dragging him away. For the first time in her life, Layla felt lonely.

She couldn't help the guilt that came along with the thought, as she had other friends who were just as important to her. It's not that their company wasn't appreciated or anything, but rather it just wasn't the same.

For as long as she could remember, her and Will had been almost inseparable. Although she had never before pictured the two of them together in a romantic relationship until now, she always assumed they would be close no matter what. How naïve.

Layla sighed to herself as she paid for her food and walked away from the lunch line.

It wasn't uncommon these days for the quartet to sit at Warren's table. In fact, they had been doing so for the past week. She wasn't sure, but she was beginning to think he was warming up to them. At least, yesterday he hadn't got up to leave for at least ten minutes, a great improvement in her opinion.

As usual, Warren was sitting at his table with a book in hand, absorbed in its words. He didn't even glance up as she sat down next to him, placing her food tray on the surface. Ethan followed soon after.

"How are you today?" she questioned in a cheery voice. It was the same question she always asked, and he always had the same type of answer.

Warren, in turn, gave a noncommittal shrug and continued reading. Layla rolled her eyes and smiled at Zach and Magenta as they sat down across from them.

"Did you write your report on 'How to Use Your Powers to Support Your Hero' yet?" Magenta directed to the group sitting at the table. Beside her, Warren snorted.

Layla nudged him with her elbow before replying, "I have it about halfway done, what about you guys?"

Magenta gave her a 'yeah right' look and Zach started rambling about things he was planning to write about.

About five minutes into this conversation, Warren looked up from his book and shook his head. "Nobody cares Glowstick."

Layla looked over at him and frowned. "Be nice. Maybe one day we'll be _your_ sidekicks."

She laughed as Ethan looked horrified, and Warren broke out in a reluctant grin.

"Seeing how you'll have to take my orders, that might not be such a bad idea. Maybe I could get you to shut up every once in awhile." He joked, winking at her.

Layla stared at him for a moment at a loss for words as he went back to reading his book. Magenta gave Layla a significant look, before flicking her eyes to Warren and back to her friend with a raised eyebrow. Layla shrugged her shoulders, flabbergasted, before turning her focus back toward her lunch.

When their endless chatter got the best of him, Warren stood up, snapping his book shut and grabbing his bag.

"See you later nerds," he stated, reaching over to grab a couple of Ethan's fries before skulking off.

Layla sneaked a glance at his retreating form and as she turned back she caught Magenta's smirk.

"Stop it!" she complained, picking up her lettuce wrap and taking a small bite, trying to calm her blush.

Zach looked back and forth between the two girls in confusion.

"What'd I miss?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It seemed the whole school was buzzing the next day as the Sidekicks made their way to lunch. From what Layla had gathered, Warren had gotten into another fight, and this time he was looking at suspension. Apparently, Principal Powers had to physically step in to stop the disruption.

Warren was known for his bad attitude and even worse temper, but he rarely acted out his aggression. Apart from the cafeteria fiasco involving Will, Waren was actually pretty tame in a 'mad at the world' kind of way. She supposed due to the fact that this was his second fight not even halfway through the school year, the punishment would obviously be more severe than detention this time.

Layla's concern grew even more evident when she noticed Will in the corner, surrounded by a group of Heroes. Gwen was retelling the story, her excitement encouraged by the small cheers and looks of awe from the other students. Will managed to look sheepish as Gwen hung onto him, his body jerking forward each time she made a wide hand gesture to describe something. On one side of his head, his hair looked a bit singed, and his backpack was slightly blacked, as if flames had touched its surface.

Magenta sat next to Layla, taking in her wide-eyed expression.

"Why do you think Warren would attack him?" she asked, nodding her head toward the small crowd. "They've been avoiding each other ever since you told Will you were going to homecoming with him."

Layla simply shook her head in reply, clueless.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out."

Magenta raised her eyebrow, muttering a "Good luck" as her friend stood up.

The three friends at the table watched as one of their own walked over, attempting to squeeze past the group of students who were none too happy to be interrupted by a mere sidekick.

Layla tried to ignore their glares, her focus on her best friend and not his snobby girlfriend who at the moment was looking none to happy about the new arrival.

Will noticed her finally, giving her a nervous (or was that guilty?) smile. She looked at him questionably, silently asking her question. He shrugged his shoulders and was about to reply when Gwen turned her eagle eye on the younger girl, stepping in front of her boyfriend protectively.

"What do _you_ want?"

Layla's blood boiled at her tone and she straightened her back, not afraid to look Gwen in the eye. She was _not_ about to be belittled by someone so obviously vain and self-centered. Why do people even _like_ her?

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was talking to you."

She heard the whispers behind her, but didn't pay attention.

"It didn't sound like you were saying much of anything, _Sidekick_. Will is a _Hero_ now, he doesn't need to talk to people like _you_."

Will looked between his girlfriend and best friend, shocked. He started to speak when he was interrupted.

"Don't act like you know what's best," Layla hissed, her face starting to heat, "You don't know-"

"No! _You_ don't know. You'll never know what it's like to be one of us. You think Will wants to stay friends with you? What do you have to offer that could possibly help him? Your _Hero Support_?" Gwen snapped, nastily.

"He never had a problem with us before! You think you have him wrapped around your little finger, but you don't. Will can still think for himself and he doesn't need people like you telling him what to do all the time!"

"You're right, Will can think for himself and he chose me!" Gwen stated, pointing to herself, "So go back over to your side of the room and I'll do us all a favor and pretend this conversation never existed."

"Stop!" Will exclaimed, stepping away from the senior and looking at her in disbelief. "Layla is as much of a hero as any of us. Her power-"

"Why can't you just accept what you are?" Gwen interrupted, clearly insulted. "Why do you insist on hanging out with them?" A few of the others nodded in agreement. "They can't offer you the same support we can. They are nothing like us!"

"Because it's not what they are that defines them, but _who_ they are!"

"So you'd rather be with someone like _her_ than me?" Gwen hissed, turning her wrath on Will.

"Layla is my friend," Will replied, confused. He looked at Layla for confirmation but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. Maybe Gwen was right. Maybe she was so blinded by her love for Will that she wasn't allowing what was best for him. He deserved to hang out with his hero friends, who was she to stop him? Just because she didn't think it was fair doesn't mean he shouldn't have the right to choose who he hangs out with. Maybe she was the one being unreasonable?

The cafeteria was silent for what seemed like minutes. Layla's ears burned in embarrassment as she suddenly realized that their voices had raised to a shout toward the end of their heated conversation, and every pair of eyes were now on them.

Muttering excuses, Layla pushed her way back through the crowd, ducking her head to miss the stares that followed her every move. She pushed open the cafeteria doors and was making her way back to class when she heard him calling from behind.

"Layla!"

She forced herself to stop walking, willing the embarrassment to fade.

Will caught up and stood in front of her, shifting his weight awkwardly after a few moments of not being able to think of anything to say. She recognized it as one of his nervous traits.

"I'm sorry for what Gwen said back there."

Layla nodded, trying not to think about it too much. She knew if she told Will how she really felt, she'd probably start crying. Will looked at her in concern, probably predicting it and tactfully changing the subject, although what he next confessed wasn't exactly what she was needing to hear right now.

"And I'm sorry about Warren too. I heard he wasn't allowed to come to Homecoming anymore."

For some reason, Layla felt her insides sink at his words.

"What were you guys fighting about anyway?"

Will made a face as he explained, using his hands to play out the situation.

"I was coming to meet Gwen and Warren was standing in front of her and yelling and, I don't know. His hands were flames and he looked like he was going to go after her so I stepped in and told him to cool off. He threw flames at me and it caught my backpack on fire. So I was about to push him into the lockers when Principal Powers came and we told her the whole story, how he started it and... Don't look at me like that!" Will exclaimed, exasperated.

"Did you ever stop and consider the fact that Gwen was probably the one to start it? Warren always minds his own business and he would never-"

"Well he did!" Will snapped. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you guys," he grimaced at his next choice of words, "like each other or whatever but Layla, the guy's a jerk!"

"We never liked each other!" Layla snapped back, "We were only going together to make you jealous!"

Will looked at her blankly and she instantly regretted the words that had come out of her mouth.

"What? Why?"

"Because... because I miss you. And I was jealous. Warren was only doing me a favor."

Those weren't exactly the true nature of Layla's feelings, but she wasn't ready to drop that bombshell quite yet.

"But why would he help you? He hates me! And you could have just talked to me instead of going behind my back! It's not like we aren't friends anymore. I'm just busy nowadays but I'd always make time for you Layla, you know that!"

Layla shrugged, not having an answer. She was beginning to feel horrible for her actions, for acting like such a bad friend. Why couldn't she have just been happy staying out of his business? Why did she care so much?

Will frowned as the bell signaling the end of lunch echoed throughout the halls.

"Just stay away from him, he's trouble and I don't trust him." Will sighed, guiding Layla through the throngs of people who stopped to stare at them. "He's just using you to get to me, and I don't want to see you hurt."

Layla didn't have the heart to tell him that she was the one who made Warren promise to go to the dance with her, and that Warren had wanted nothing to do with it until she persisted and convinced him.

The two friends made their way back to class, walking side by side in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Layla tossed and turned that night in bed, unable to close off her thoughts from the events of that day. She and Will's relationship had never been this complicated before. She knew that over anything else, Will was still her best friend. This was just high school, and things were bound to change as everyone grew older, right?

Whenever she had thought of her and Will, she couldn't imagine her life without him. It was only natural that they stick together, as they had known each other for so long and it would be weird not being around him. But maybe that was their problem. Obviously Will didn't think of her romantically, evident by his interest in Gwen. He was just a typical teenage boy who was over the moon when an older, pretty girl wanted to be with him. Sure, he was still very protective over his friends, but he was also different from all of them.

His parents were the greatest superheroes of their time, and Will was bound to follow in their footsteps. He and his family would be off saving the world, and no matter how she imagined their future to be, in the back of her mind she knew realistically that she would eventually be left behind no matter what.

Perhaps he deserved someone who could run off with him, fighting evil and crime. Maybe it was time for her to just let her fantasy go. She knew it was impossible to stop loving him, but maybe it was time to start going back to being best friends and take away the risk of their cherished friendship from falling apart. After all, it was better to have him as a friend than to not have him in her life at all, right?

She winced in the dark as she remembered her words to him this afternoon. She had told him about her and Warren's plan to make him jealous. Will in return told her not to hang out with Warren, that he was bad news. But Warren had never done anything to make her suspicious of his intentions; he was even nice to her at times.

Warren.

He was definitely a loner, never talking to anyone unless he was spoken to, never taking the initiative to have friends. Even if someone did try to be friendly to him, he was always so defensive and off-putting; she could see why most students didn't even try. She wondered if this was because of his father. She didn't know much about Barron Battle other than very minor details behind his incarceration, but she imagined it would be hard to grow up without a dad. Especially when she thought of the relationship that Will and his dad shared.

She knew in some ways Warren blamed Will and his parents for placing his father behind bars, even becoming hostile at times, like when he attacked Will that first week at school. Usually he was so indifferent, minding his own business and not letting things affect him. That was the only time she'd ever seen Warren show real, raw emotion at something in the very short time she had known him. She guessed that maybe his family was a weak spot for him, like how Will's friends were a weak spot for him.

That's why she was so surprised at the fight earlier this afternoon. She knew that he had a temper, but what on earth could Gwen Grayson have possibly said to him that would make him go ballistic? She knew it had to be the older girl that provoked the situation, because she couldn't come up with any scenarios that would call for Warren to just attack another student like that.

Did she say something about his family? His dad? But why would Gwen care enough to say anything? Warren never did anything to her, other than to dislike Will, but as far as she knew there weren't any recent altercations between the two.

Shouldn't Gwen have been happy that Warren was taking Layla to Homecoming? She obviously knew about Layla's crush on her boyfriend, so why would she be upset over someone else asking her? Wouldn't she welcome the distraction?

Layla groaned, grabbing her pillow and pressing it into her face. Why was everything so confusing?

She looked at the clock, frowning as it read "4:37" in the morning.

She and Magenta had made plans to shop for dresses to the dance after school, but without a date she didn't feel much like going anymore. She knew her friend would convince her to go anyway and just have fun, but how could she?

Layla turned over and watched the numbers on her clock change minute after minute, and before she knew it, her eyes grew heavy and she slipped into a light sleep.

A/N: Definitely a filler chapter, but I wanted to explain some of Layla's feelings before getting into the Warren/Layla relationship. As I mentioned in chapter one, this story does not follow the movie. Use your imagination with me :) Will and Layla's relationship is complicated, because I can't bring myself to make Will a bad guy. I see him as very loyal and protective of his friends, no matter what. He still sees Warren as trouble, and his bad experiences with him plus the fact that his father is a villain doesn't really equal warm and fuzzy. That's why Warren's sudden interest in Layla makes Will a bit nervous. Can you really blame him?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Homecoming was this Saturday, only three days away.

The two girls had walked to the mall after school, despite Layla's initial objections. Magenta picked out an outfit for her, a flowing green dress that Layla had to admit, fit her quite nicely. To her surprise, her first thought upon looking in the mirror wasn't what Will would think of it, but rather if Warren would've liked it or not.

"Are you sure it's not too green?" Layla asked, stepping out of the dressing room.

"Green looks good on you," Magenta shrugged, tugging down the skirt of her black dress.

"But does it make my hair look too red?"

"Your hair is gorgeous," Magenta sighed before giving a mischievous smile. "Besides, I think Warren likes red."

Layla flushed, causing her friend to laugh.

"Stop, we're just friends. Kind of..." Layla said, turning back toward the mirror. "And he isn't going to see me in it so it doesn't even matter whether he does or not."

"Sure," Magenta said dryly, rolling her eyes. "Because that's how you really feel."

"Really!" Layla insisted, turning to glare at the other girl. "Besides," she started, showing off her still slightly blistered hand from a week ago, "This is what happened the last time I gave him a compliment. Last time I checked, when a guy is interested he doesn't do the girl bodily harm."

Magenta shrugged, turning back toward the mirror in front of her.

"I'm just saying that sometimes he looks at you like he's definitely interested. And he isn't as nice to the rest of us as he is to you."

"That's because he doesn't know you guys that well," Layla said, shaking her head.

"And you knows that much about you? Come on!"

Layla just shrugged, picking at the fabric of a shirt hanging off the nearby rack.

"Fine," she relented, pursing her lips. "But who knows if Will's going to drop his stupid crush on Miss Techno-bitch anytime soon. He was back to hanging out with her this morning, didn't you see?"

Magenta walked back into the dressing room after giving her reflection one last look. Layla frowned at her friend's comment. She was right. Will paid a little more attention to Layla after the confrontation in the cafeteria, but she thought it was more to keep the peace between his friend and girlfriend if anything else. He hadn't spoken to her all day apart from a few words on the bus, and then it seemed like he was avoiding her in the hallways.

But what did she expect? Him to come running into her arms, telling her how much he loved her and he just didn't realize it until now? 'Yeah, right.' Layla scoffed to herself, staring at her reflection with a frown marring her features. She would just have to keep at until the ball was in his court. If something came of it, great. But if not...

There was always Warren.

Layla smiled to herself. Magenta would swear on her life that he had a crush on her, but Layla just couldn't see it. She had to admit, he wasn't unattractive in the least. The complete opposite of Will, really, but there was something about him that was alluring all the same.

It was confusing, but there was that part of her that wished he could still be her date for the dance. She couldn't say that he was the most gracious guest, but he was decent to her... sort of.

She had went to The Paper Lantern that night after his suspension to get his side of the story, but he seemed to have the evening off. That or he just didn't want to see her and hid until she was gone, which she couldn't rule out as a possibility either. He _had_ mentioned before how her stalking him was kind of annoying.

There were rumors today at school that Principal Powers was considering expelling him if he acted up once more this year. Layla wasn't sure what Warren was like before they came to Sky High, but judging by the way the other students gossiped nowadays, she could only guess that his impulsive behavior was rather recent. Before these altercations, he spent most of his time being a recluse, not bothering anyone or even acknowledging them for that matter. It was odd, really.

But truth be told, she found his brooding nature kind of fascinating. It was a change from Will's fun and sometimes goofy-to-the-point-of-annoying demeanor. He may have layers and layers that cover up who he really is inside, but Warren had soulful and knowledgeable eyes that you could sink into. He just needed someone to crack his shell, and maybe she could be the person to do it. Wait- what?!

Magenta walked out of her dressing room and looked at Layla oddly.

"Are you going to change? Or are you going to pine over Will all day?"

Layla jumped a little, having been deep in thought, and sheepishly followed Magenta's lead, walking into the dressing room to change back into her regular clothes.

"Do you honestly think he'll ever see me as more of a friend?" Layla questioned from inside the small room, untying the back of her dress as she did so.

"Who, Warren or Will?" she teased, then became serious at Layla's huff of indignation from inside the dressing room.

"I don't know," the other girl replied truthfully, "But Layla, you can't keep chasing after him. I say let it go and if he comes around later, then great. But if not then at least you have the chance to meet someone who could be a better match for you."

"You don't think Will's a good match?" asked Layla, pulling her jeans up her legs.

"I think Will's a great guy, no doubt about that. But you guys together? I just can't see it."

"Why not?"

"You and he make great friends... but I think the fact that you two have known each other for so long has made you biased. There's just no chemistry there, at least from what I can see. I know you love him, but can you honestly say that you're _in _love with him, or the idea of him and you being together?"

Layla was quiet for a minute or so, and just as Magenta was about to ask if she was alright, Layla walked out of the dressing room slowly, her shoulders slumped.

"I don't know anymore. I like the way he makes me feel, well, up until this school year anyway. It seems like lately all I've been feeling this past few weeks has been resentment. Do you think we'll be nothing but friends our whole lives?"

Magenta studied the redhead, choosing her next words carefully.

"I'd never say never," she insisted, giving her friend a hug. She looked like she could use one.

The girls pulled apart after a few moments and headed toward the front of the store, dresses slung over their arms, to make their respective purchases.

"You want to come hang out at my house? We can watch a movie." Magenta suggested, handing over her money to the clerk after the price flashed up on the register.

"Maybe later, I have something I want to do first, but it won't take very long."

"Need me to come with?"

"Nah, this is something I have to do on my own," answered Layla, handing the clerk her money.

If Magenta was curious about what that something was, she didn't let on.

"Alright well, call me?"

Layla nodded in response and the two parted ways, one girl thoughtful and the other determined.

A/N: Warren is in the next chapter, I promise! Someone asked why Warren was suspended when the first fight between he and Will was much worse. Based on my school experiences, the first incident was more of a stern "warning". From what I got out of the movie, Warren usually kept to himself and didn't normally cause problems, which is why the two boys simply received detention instead of a worse punishment the first time around. But Principal Powers can't have her students going around picking fights all the time, can she? :) On a side note, sorry this update took so long. I'm getting married in a few weeks so I've been extremely busy…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She arrived at her destination quicker than she planned, but that was probably due to the million thoughts swirling around in her head, causing her to walk in some sort of daze. She hated all the unanswered questions, the doubt and the insecurity. She'd never experienced these kinds of feelings and they were oddly unsettling. She was always so carefree before, but nowadays it seemed like she was always plagued with negativity. Why were things so complicated? She seemed to be asking herself that question a lot these days.

Layla shifted her shopping bag to her other arm and opened up the door to the restaurant, stepping inside.

The scented air of cooked food hit her and her stomach growled quietly. She waited patiently while the hostess helped the group in front of her, taking the opportunity to scan the large room.

"Just one?"

"Yes," answered Layla, following the woman to a booth. A menu was placed in front of her, but she chose to ignore it, already knowing what she would order when the time came, and continued to look around the room with a curious gaze. She saw movement toward the back corner of the room and smiled when she found the person she was looking for.

"What can I get you to drink?" asked her server, snapping Layla out of her daze. After ordering an iced tea, she mentally played out the future conversation in her head while studying the young man.

He was cleaning off a table on the other side of the room. He was oblivious to his audience as she watched him.

It was minutes later when the subject in question finally spotted her, looking indifferent as always. Not that she expected any other kind of reaction. He slowly made his way over to clean the table that the couple sitting behind her had just vacated, the unconcerned expression still on his face.

"Stalking me again?" he asked, his lips turned up in a mocking half-smile.

Layla smiled in greeting and answered, "Something like that. How are you doing?"

He shrugged and watched her for a few seconds, regarding her somewhat nervous demeanor with interest. With a sigh he slid into the opposite side of the booth, throwing his cleaning towel over his shoulder.

"You've got five minutes. Spill."

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

He stared blankly at her, and Layla decided to just be honest.

"I was worried about you, I guess."

Whatever Warren was expecting, that certainly wasn't it. His surprised expression vanished almost as suddenly as it appeared and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion? Annoyance? She couldn't be sure.

"Why would you be worried?"

She made a face at him, "Because something made you angry enough to get into a fight yesterday."

"So?"

"So do you want to talk about it?"

He suddenly scowled, tapping his fingers against the table in thought.

"You're fishing for information." Warren stated, rather than asked.

"Not exactly. I just wanted to let you know that if you needed to talk, I'm a good listener."

"And why do you care?" he asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Because we're friends!"

"If you want to call us that." Warren stated.

Layla was a bit taken back by his comment.

"I-I just thought," She fumbled on her words. Why did she even come here?

"I thought that maybe Gwen had said something about your dad and that's why..." She never finished her sentence because suddenly he leaned forward and glared, and Layla suddenly realized why so many people were afraid of him.

Warren Peace could be very scary when he wanted to. His hands started to smoke lightly and Layla gasped, shoving her menu on top of them. She looked around wildly to see if anyone had noticed, but nobody seemed to be paying attention to the two teenagers.

"Warren, what do you think you're doing? What is _wrong_ with you?" she hissed, looking at him as if he were crazy.

He took a deep breath, but it was more like he was trying to not blow up at her rather than to calm himself down.

"I don't want to be your friend."

"Excuse me?" Layla exclaimed, insulted.

"Why do you think I agreed to take you to the stupid dance in the first place?"

Layla shook her head in confusion, her eyes wide.

"Because you wanted to make Will angry?" she replied in an unsure voice.

Warren stood up. Layla thought for a moment that he was going to strangle her, but he simply ran one hand through his hair, whether it was a weary gesture or nervousness, she couldn't be sure. After a few moments of looking anywhere but at the girl in front of him, he decided to speak.

"Gwen wasn't talking about my dad, she was insulting you."

Layla starred at him, flabbergasted at his words. Warren looked incredibly uncomfortable, his eyes darting around as if looking for an excuse to slip away. Was he… embarrassed?

"So you stuck up for me?"

"What would you say if I did?"

"I would say thank you, and then ask why you would do that when you don't even want to be friends."

Layla waited patiently for his answer, feeling oddly tense all of a sudden.

He had a small, wistful smile on his face. It was confusing.

"When I agreed to take you to Homecoming, Stronghold was the last thought on my mind. Ok, so maybe not at the time but definitely later on."

Layla stared at him in surprise, not knowing what to say. The older teen was visibly uncomfortable with her incredulous stare, but Layla couldn't find the words to reply to give him a reply.

Sensing his escape, Warren muttered "Enjoy your meal", and disappeared from view.

She released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, watching the candle flame dance around while pondering his words.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"He said _what_?"

Layla reached over and covered her friend's mouth, trying to quiet the other girl. Magenta swatted her hand away, her eyes wide and disbelieving after hearing the latest love drama concerning the redhead. God, why couldn't her life be this exciting? All she had pining after her was a glowing pile of turd.

"And what did you say back?" she asked in a relatively quieter voice.

"I didn't say anything!" Layla whispered, feeling as if every pair of ears in the general vicinity was currently eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Well when are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know! What would I say?"

"Tell him you like him back!" Magenta insisted.

"But what if that's not what he meant?" Layla asked, her frustration starting to show.

"What else would he have meant?"

Layla brought her hands up to cover her face and groaned. The girls were in their last class of the day, and Layla finally had the chance to tell her friend what happened last night without Zach and Ethan hanging around. The teacher had given them the last few minutes of the class period to socialize, and many of the boys were goofing around in various parts of the room.

"I don't even know that I like him back. Everything is just so confusing right now. Will said-"

Magenta put her hand up, immediately silencing the other girl. "Who cares about Will? It's not like he stopped seeing Miss Perfect when she was mean to you. It shouldn't matter to him who you are dating."

"I just don't want anything to harm our friendship," replied Layla, letting out a big sigh.

"Well maybe this could be the test of true friendship or whatever. God, that sounds so stupid," scoffed Magenta, rolling her eyes. "When did you turn me into such a sap?"

Layla laughed, "You're just living vicariously through me."

Magenta dug through her shoulder bag, finding a handful of loose change at the bottom.

"Maybe we should just flip a coin. Heads for Will, tails for Warren."

"Are you serious?"

"Why not?" Magenta shrugged, setting a coin on the desk. "It's not like you're going to decide anytime soon."

Magenta threw the coin up and it landed on the desk, her hand covering the object before either of them could see the outcome.

The bell signaling the end of classes rang at that moment, causing a handful of students to immediately jump up and head out the door, eager to get home and start their weekend.

With the rush of students grabbing their bags around them, Magenta removed her hand, giving Layla a pointed look, a smirk adorning her face.

"That doesn't answer anything." Layla mumbled, reaching down to grab her bag off the floor.

The dark-haired girl snatched the coin off the desk, which was proudly laying tails side up and grabbed her bag as well.

"I just think that you need to stop worrying about what Will thinks and do what you want for once. If you don't like Warren, that's fine, but I have a feeling he's not going to like any potential boyfriends, enemy or not."

"So if you were me, what would you do?" Layla asked, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I would follow my heart." Magenta replied, then made a face at her choice of words.

Layla laughed in response, "You really are turning into a sap."

A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their alerts and favorites. It means a lot of me that so many of you look forward to this reading this. Also thanks for the congratulations. The wedding was _almost_ perfect, if you ignore the part where we had to go into the basement after the ceremony because of a tornado! Life is funny sometimes, isn't it?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

She wasn't used to this feeling. With Will it had always been comfortable, safe. Warren Peace was uncharted territory. His eyes were constantly filled with suspicion, making her feel uneasy at times. His brooding expression hardly ever changed, and when it did, one wasn't quite sure if it was due to sarcasm or actual amusement. Layla felt that maybe her presence brought about a bit of both from the older teenager.

"Do you like me?"

Right, good. Straight to the point. She hadn't actually meant to blurt out those words exactly, at least not yet anyway. She fought to keep the cringing she felt inside from showing externally.

"I think we covered that the other night."

She had cornered him after his shift at The Paper Lantern, having waited nearly two hours for his presence to leave the small building. Her original intention was to march inside and catch him off guard, but as she came closer to her destination the butterflies started kicking in big time. She had only managed to reach the sidewalk out front when she felt she was going to hurl and almost abandoned mission.

So for two hours she waited. Pacing up and down the street, her hands moved rapidly as she practiced her upcoming speech. She had a feeling all of her controlled words would fly right out the window as soon as she saw him, but it was still a comfort to rehearse nonetheless. Almost heading home a few times in the process, her nerves were to their limit the more time that passed.

She almost didn't notice as he slunk out onto the street, his jacket tucked under one arm while in his other he held a takeout box of food. His head was down, not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Warren!" she called out to him, and he turned in her direction with something akin to an amused smirk, although his eyes showed confusion.

"Ok, now you're scaring me. The stalking thing seriously has to stop," he called out in a teasing tone as he jogged closer to where she was standing, waiting on him.

She couldn't deny her attraction to the young man. If Will ever found out...

Layla couldn't imagine what her best friend would think of her if he knew what she was about to do. Hell, she didn't even know what to think of herself. She didn't have a lot of experience with boys... Okay, so she had none at all. But Warren didn't exactly have a crop girls hanging off his arm, so maybe they were in the same boat.

Oh, who was she kidding? Warren seemed so much more confident than she ever could be. He _had_ to have some experience, right?

But back to the present.

"Look," Warren started, sensing her hesitation at his response, "If it's easier, just forget I said anything. It's probably better that way."

"That's not it..." Layla trailed off, at a loss for words. She twirled her hand helplessly in the air, as if she were physically trying to grasp a point but failing miserably.

The young man sighed, raising his hand to run it through his hair until he realized it was up in a ponytail. He dropped his hand uselessly, letting it flop back to his side. Layla shifted her weight to her other foot, unsure of how to proceed, to make up for her lack of response. A few awkward moments passed by. She opened her mouth, about to apologize, when he interrupted her.

"There's something I want to say real quick," he said, and Layla couldn't but notice the tables turn as he was the one who suddenly looked nervous.

Warren's demonstration of being nervous wasn't like others. He didn't stumble over his words or look in every direction but where he should be looking at. He was looking directly into her eyes, and she fought the urge to cringe away from his apparent scrutiny. Or that's what it felt like anyway. Maybe it was more like speculation. The only sign that tipped her off of his nerves was his breathing, as he suddenly had to take deep breaths as if to calm himself down. He licked his lips, her eyes drawn to the motion, and continued.

"I know I'm nowhere close to being like Stronghold. Not that I'm complaining," he backtracked, "because I would probably have killed myself by now. I have no idea why he holds your fascination, and I don't want make it hard on you. You like him, I get it. I don't understand it, but I get it. But I just think that, for your sake, instead of holding onto the hope that someone who doesn't give you the time of day will eventually like you, maybe you should look around, and consider the guys that already do."

Layla had never heard Warren talk with such sincerity, with such lack of self-assurance and coolness. He seemed almost lost. So... rejected. She had a feeling that she was one of the very few that had gotten to see him vulnerable, if only for a moment. After making his speech he stood back up to full height, not quite looking her in the eye. Whether it was from embarrassment of regret, Layla wasn't sure.

Either way, the rising impulse to do something drastic blinded her vision, moving her feet forward and before she knew what she was doing she grabbed his face between her hands and brought her lips up to meet his.

It was an awkward kiss, kind of smooshy and a bit off the mark. Layla came to her senses a few seconds later, realizing that her partner was still as stone above her, making the kiss pretty much one-sided.

She jumped back in shock, trying to school her face into serenity when inside she only felt the horror and embarrassment of what she had just done.

His eyes were wide, probably just as shocked as hers were. His eyes bore into hers, and she had to force herself not to crumble. He stepped forward and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't move her feet back, to run away.

Still with shocked eyes, he brought his hand up to rest against her cheek, cupping her jaw. He bent down at an excruciating slow pace, until she could feel his warm breath against her lips.

Then they were kissing, and it was perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Layla was so caught up in the moment that she was a bit dazed when the kiss stopped. It was simple and sweet. Not too pushy, but much more than a quick peck. She looked up at Warren, giving him a small, unsure smile. He watched her reaction (to make sure she wasn't repulsed?) before breaking into his heartbreaking smile.

The two parted ways a few minutes later, Warren reluctantly saying goodnight first. She watched him walk away, disappointment flaring up just a little. She couldn't help but think that Will would have walked her home, but she had to remind herself that Warren was _not_ Will and it was unfair to compare the two.

Wasn't that why she was interested in him in the first place? Because he was almost the polar opposite of her best friend, the one who stomped all over her heart after breaking it into a million pieces? Okay, that wasn't fair. It's not like he knows she has feelings for him but still. Even as a so-called best friend he had distanced himself from her, leaving a sense of desertion. Warren was right. She deserved someone who would give her the time of day, not someone who would drop his friends at the blink of an eye.

She walked home slowly, lost in her own thoughts. What would happen now? Did this mean her and Warren were dating? Boyfriend and girlfriend? She really wished she had more experience in this department.

He liked her, and she liked him. They kissed. But she couldn't imagine Warren having a girlfriend, or at least claiming to have one anyway. Would he ignore her in public? Would they have a secret relationship? Could she tell anyone? Would he tell anyone?

Layla groaned in annoyance. Just once couldn't she just live out something without having to overanalyze it?

She arrived home, closing the front door behind her. Her mom was in the living room, carrying on a conversation with the family cat.

"Hey mom," she called out, distracted as she passed by.

"Hello sweetie," she responded to her daughter, "Will called this afternoon. I told him you were out but you would call him back as soon as you got home."

Layla paused on her way up the stairs, turning around to face her mom. There was no way he could have found out about their kiss already, had he?

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"Not really, just calling to talk I guess. Are you guys okay? I haven't seen him around lately."

"Everything's okay, we're just... busy. With school."

"Alright," her mother replied, that concerned mother instinct starting to kick in. Layla didn't think she quite believed her, but she didn't push the issue and for that she was grateful. Layla grabbed the cordless phone, making her way to her bedroom while dialing the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mrs. Stronghold, is Will around? It's Layla."

"Layla, of course! How are you?" greeted Will's mother, pleasure in her voice. Layla guessed her mom wasn't the only one concerned about the two teenagers.

"I'm good, just busy with school and stuff."

"Right. Well, Will's in his room. Give me just a second to go get him, alright?"

"Thanks," Layla responded, making herself comfortable on her bed.

She could hear muffled talking on the other end of the phone, Mrs. Stronghold handing it over to her son after telling Layla to "Take care, honey!"

"Layla?" questioned the voice.

"Hi Will," she responded.

"I tried to get your attention after school, but you looked like you were in a hurry."

"I was, I had something I needed to do."

"Your mom said you went out?"

"Yeah..."

"For what?"

"Just... stuff."

"Oh," he responded, sensing Layla's hesitance to talk on the subject. "Look, I know this is last minute but today at school a bunch of us were thinking about going to the dance together, and I thought of you. So, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go with me. I mean, with us. As a group date kinda thing."

He said the last part quickly, and Layla wondered if it was because he was setting boundaries and didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Will knew how touchy she was about things between them lately, but it didn't have to be awkward right? They could still go out and hang like friends normally do... couldn't they?

"I don't think I'm going," she replied, a bit annoyed. "And I'm not sure that your girlfriend would like me hanging around you guys."

If what Warren claimed _were_ true, then Layla wasn't sure she wanted to hang out with Gwen either.

"Your mom said she thought you'd like to."

"My mom?" Layla asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I asked her about it earlier because I wasn't sure if you were even going, but she said that you and Magenta had gone dress and everything. I already talked with Zach and he and Ethan are in."

"Oh," she responded. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the dance and be around Will and Gwen, especially after the night she had. Talk about a great way to ruin her weekend. Goosebumps rose on her flesh as she replayed the kiss in her head.

"Layla?"

"What?" she answered, snapping out of her daze.

"I asked if you were going to come with us?"

If only she had spoken up weeks ago and told him how she felt, then maybe she wouldn't be getting the pity invite instead of a great date. Layla sighed. She guessed it couldn't hurt to go along. It's not like she had another date after all, what with Warren's suspension. Besides, maybe this is just what their friendship needed. Insensitive or not, Will was still her best friend, recent actions not apply.

"What time will you pick me up?"

A/N: I wrote this about a month ago and reading back through it I made a pretty big change that hopefully didn't make this chapter come out too weird because of it. Originally I had Will and Gwen getting into a fight and him asking Layla to come to the dance last minute, but it seemed forced and tacky that Will would turn right around and ask someone else. So I went with the group date instead. Anyway, the next chapter will get to the good stuff :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

The two girls were waiting anxiously in Layla's living room, although for two entirely different reasons.

Although she would never admit to anyone else, Magenta found Zach's humor and awkwardness kind of charming as of late. His affections didn't slow down; in fact they seemed to increase the closer the date of the dance. While it was extremely embarrassing, secretly inside she was flattered that someone would take that much of an interest in her. The expression on his face was priceless when she finally relented and agreed to go to the dance with him.

The only drawback was that they'd have to spend the evening around Miss Techno-bitch, but if Magenta had any say in the matter, that wouldn't last for long. Besides, she had to bail Layla out from the awkwardness that was sure to ensue. She wasn't quite sure if Will had even thought to clear the idea with his girlfriend of bringing Layla along. Magenta had a strong suspension that she wouldn't be too happy, to say the least.

As for Layla, her nerves were on edge with all the thoughts swirling around in her head. It would be so much easier if the two boys just got along. What if she slipped up and Will found out tonight? What if Warren finds out she was around Will at the dance? Would he care? What if...

She felt a nudge against her side and looked over to her friend quizzically. Magenta looked at her oddly and then her eyes snapped up to something over Layla's shoulder. The redhead whipped her head around and nerves erupted in her stomach upon seeing Will and Zach standing inside the living room, looking a bit out of place with their dress clothes.

"Are you okay?" asked Will upon sensing his friend's distracted demeanor.

Layla nodded and stood up slowly. Layla's mom was there in a heartbeat, grinning and fawning over how everyone looked that evening. Magenta went over to greet Zach and Layla smiled unsurely at her best friend as he reached his hand out for her own. Placing her palm in his, she was suddenly embraced in a warm hug. It was nice. Familiar. Layla closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Meanwhile, Layla's mom was making a fuss as she took pictures left and right.

"Now everyone stand together... No Zach, stand _behind_ Magenta. There you go! Okay, now smile!"

"Where's Gwen?" Layla questioned in-between grinning for pictures.

"She said she would meet up later. She had to go to the school and make sure everything was ready before everyone started arriving."

Layla nodded in understanding, secretly glad that she would have another hour or so Gwen-free.

"You guys ready yet?" Magenta asked, visibly uncomfortable having the camera pointed at her face. Will stepped back and grabbed Layla's hand again, pulling her towards the door. She noticed Magenta giving her a pointed look, as if accusing her of something. It's not like she and Will never held hands before.

Layla simply smiled in return and followed the lead, hugging her mom in the process as she walked out the door. The two couples made it to the minivan out front, which housed Ethan and his date for the night. They were to meet the other students at a local restaurant, where they would have dinner before heading to the dance. Ethan's mom smiled at the teenagers, letting the girls know how pretty they looked before putting the car in gear, waving at Layla's mom, who was standing by the door with a tissue in hand. Layla rolled her eyes.

The restaurant was nearly packed when they arrived, and after another round of goodbyes to Ethan's mom, the group walked inside. A lot of the students were already seated, the excited chatter almost deafening.

As Layla was sitting, waiting for their order to be taken, she thought about the conversation that the two girls shared earlier in the day.

"_Are you going to tell him that you and Warren are an item now?"_

"_I don't know!" Layla exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I don't even know what we are, like if he wants me to be his girlfriend or if..." she started, letting the end of her sentence hang out in the open. "I'm pretty sure Will wouldn't like it very much anyway if he knew I was for real dating someone he hates," Layla finally explained. _

"_So you're just going to hide this from him?"_

"_Not exactly... I'm just going to wait until things cool off a bit. Will doesn't want me seeing Warren, but maybe after some time he'll loosen up to the idea and then everything will be okay."_

_It was a nice thought, but not very plausible. However, Layla took to seeing the good in everything, she always had. Magenta, on the other hand, was always blunt and straight to the point. If the expression on her face was any indication, she severely doubted Layla's reassurance that everything was going to turn out nice and dandy._

"_You do realize it's not just Will that doesn't like Warren? Their feelings are mutual. Secondly, did you forget about Gwen? Not only is Will blinded by the fact that she's a total psycho freak, but Warren attacked her. Do you think Will's just going to forget that?"_

"This is fun!" Will exclaimed over the noise of the other students, slightly leaning forward in order for everyone at their table to hear him. "I miss hanging out with you guys."

"Well maybe if your ego wasn't so inflated then we'd let you!" Magenta snapped.

The whole night it was 'me this, me that' and the Magenta was sick of it. Just for once could Will not talk about himself? She looked toward Layla for confirmation, but the other girl was staring off into space, obviously in deep thought.

Zach was goofing off as usual and Ethan and his date looked slightly uncomfortable sitting next to each other. It was unfortunate that both parties were shy. Magenta hadn't seen them interact so far, although they kept sneaking curious glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking.

It wasn't until everyone had gotten their food and started to dig in that things became interesting. Will had his arm draped casually over Layla's shoulder, who still looked as distracted as ever. Zach had tried to mimic his friend's movement, but ended up hitting Magenta in the head. After the third attempt she turned her ferocious glare on him, about to tell him off, when his eyes went wide as they stared at something behind her.

Magenta whipped her head around so fast that she accidentally elbowed her date in the ribs. The platinum blond gave a soft cry of pain, but the strong-willed teenager had bigger things to worry about now.

As the sinister shadow fell over the table, everyone except Will and Layla held their breaths for the outcome.

Gwen looked furious, her eyes darting back and forth between her boyfriend and the younger redhead, obviously coming to her own conclusion. Layla was picking at her food, moving her fries across her plate with her fork. Will grinned up at his girlfriend, but having enough sense to recognize the signs of trouble and dropped his arm from Layla's shoulder.

At the loss of weight Layla finally looked up, her eyes filling with dread.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Gwen's shrill voice rang out in the restaurant.

"I invited her." Will said simply, moving to stand up to calm his girlfriend down.

"Oh I almost forgot. Her loser boyfriend couldn't make it, could he?" she sneered, an obvious dislike for the other girl apparent on her face.

"Why don't you back off?" snapped Magenta, coming to her friend's defense.

"Shut up sidekick." Gwen hissed, turning her wrath on the entire table. "Like you're even better."

"Gwen..." Will pleaded, not wanting to upset the older teen but also wanting to protect his friends. "Let's just go."

"You act like you're so great!" Magenta growled, standing up to have a better advantage. "You're nothing but a stuck up bitch. People may like you because you're pretty, but that's the only thing you have going for you. I see right through your little act," she snarled, pointing her finger at the other girl, "And I think you are the _ugliest_ person I have ever met."

"It's nice that you think that." Gwen chastised, grinning like a mad cat. "But at least _I _have a _real_ power. I'm _somebody_. People like you," she started, gesturing at the table, "Are nothing more than the disgrace of the hero world. You can't do anything useful; you just get in the way."

"Stop," said a voice from the table. The group of friends turned to the source in shock. They had never heard Layla sound so angry. So forceful. It was a complete 180 reaction to what they were accustomed to. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wild. Her hands were clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.

Gwen simply flashed a nasty smile. "Especially you," she clarified, "Nobody wants someone so _pathetic_."

At this comment, Layla screamed in outrage, her pent up anger and frustration toward the other girl finally rising to the surface. All she could see was red as she raised her hands toward the other girl.

She could feel her power pulsing through her veins, the energy unstoppable.

She could vaguely hear the screams from the restaurant as the windows burst open, glass flying everywhere as the snaky vines rushed forward...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The Commander arrived minutes after the incident, having heard from an unknown source that there was danger at the restaurant he knew his son and friends were at. Layla was thankful that it was he that showed up, otherwise she probably would've been in more trouble than she already was. The older man talked to her mother over the phone, and the two agreed that Layla would not be going to dance tonight and would be grounded for the next ten years. She felt that was a bit of an exaggerated punishment, but she wasn't able to argue in case something more gruesome was assigned instead.

Luckily, one of the students with the ability to repair broken objects was at the restaurant and readily agreed to help. Of course, nobody could say 'no' to the Commander.

The greenery that now took over the walls, ceiling and tables, however, was a little more difficult to fix. Layla was able to remove most of it, but her power was too unstable at the moment to take it away completely. Ironically, one of the biggest irreversible problems was the twiggy contraption that held Gwen as its prisoner, although Layla secretly noted, with smug satisfaction, that she wasn't trying all that hard.

Her friends were in shock for the most part, especially Will. They had seen Layla's power before, but never that potent. It took almost ten minutes of coaxing to convince Ethan to turn back into his solid form.

When the Commander finally was able to release the top half of Gwen, the older girl started shouting at Layla, her hysteric words blending from one sentence to the other. A vine somehow found its way from the ceiling, gagging the squalling girl. At that point, Will's father ordered Layla to sit down and "not help anymore!"

It was at this point that a figure slammed open the door to the restaurant. The Commander and remaining students turned toward the individual quickly, slightly alarmed. The only ones to relax were Magenta and Layla as they realized it was just Warren Peace.

He quickly scanned the large room, his eyes softening from his panic as they landed on Layla, unharmed and sitting at a booth. Without acknowledging anyone else in the room, he quickly walked over to the table, hesitating only when he got there.

"You can sit if you want," she answered to his unspoken question.

He sat down slowly, his eyes finally taking in their surroundings.

"Felt the need to redecorate?" he asked in his gruff voice, his lips twitching just the slightest.

"Something like that," she smiled back at him, slightly embarrassed.

Across the room, Will had stopped his movements in helping to free his girlfriend as he stood watching the pair.

"Get over it," Magenta said, rolling her eyes.

"What is he doing here?" he sputtered.

Over on the other side of the room, the two teenagers were having that exact conversation.

"What are you doing here?" asked Layla, folding her arms and resting them on the table.

"I was heading to work and I heard some students talking about a pyscho freshman who demolished a building and was going to kill everyone. So naturally, I thought of you."

"What?" Layla asked, her eyes wide.

Warren grinned at her, taking in her shocked appearance. "They might have said something about red hair."

"That's ridiculous," Layla scoffed, then hid behind her hands in embarrassment. "Everyone's going to think I'm insane now!" she groaned.

"No they're not," Warren chuckled, reaching across the table and pulling her hands away from her face. As he brought them back down to the table he continued to hold them, squeezing them in comfort.

"By the looks of things what you did was pretty fucking cool. Not to mention you publicly humiliated Gwen. Not many people have the guts to do that."

"You did," Layla pointed out, referring to his incident in the school hallway.

"And that's why we're such a good match," Warren grinned, flashing his set of pearly white teeth.

Zach was holding back Will, who looked like he was seconds away from going ballistic. His face went from pale to bright red in seconds, watching as his enemy grabbed his best friends hands and then as the two obviously flirted with one another. Magenta was watching the two young men with disinterest, slightly annoyed that Gwen was now freed from her bonds.

"Come on man, you have Gwen!" Zach tried to reason. Will as still struggling against him, trying to get to the pair on the other side of the room.

"I don't _care_ about Gwen!" snapped Will, as a voice behind the both of them shrieked "WHAT?"

Will grimaced and turned toward his girlfriend, getting nervous as the lights above them started to shake and flicker.

These actions and the loud voices caught the attention of the two teenagers across the room. Layla stood up quickly, seeing her friend in danger. Warren rolled his eyes, standing up beside her.

"Now kids..." Will's dad tried to reason, standing between them.

"I'm not a kid!" Gwen snarled, rushing forward to point her finger in Will's chest.

"You..." she seethed, eyes flashing.

"No!" Will stated, standing up at his full height, "I'm allowed to have my own friends, sidekicks or not. These guys are every bit of the hero that I am."

Gwen just laughed, the sound harsh and hollow.

"You keep telling yourself that," she said, glaring at him at full force. "By the way? It's over."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that on my own, thanks." Will snapped. He nodded to someone behind her and she narrowed her eyes at being dismissed, sniffing indignantly, and flipping her hair as she turned around.

Gwen's dramatic exit was interrupted, however, as she slipped and fell from the puddle that was Ethan.

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Life has been busy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You're the main reason I forced myself to sit down and get this done :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The room was soon cleaned up completely, and the owners of the restaurant, being as excited to meet _THE_ Commander as they were, waved the group off without second thought as there weren't any (major) damages done to the building. Feeling a bit guilty, however, Layla spruced up their landscape a bit, adding fresh flowers and greener grass.

Warren looked at her in amusement.

The two teenagers were holding hands, and anyone with a set of working eyes could tell that Will was trying his hardest not to jump in and make a scene. You could practically see the gears working overtime in his head, trying to process this new development. If it weren't for his father present, he probably would have jumped down everyone's throats, especially Magentas because it was obvious that the other girl knew about this so-called relationship and was actually okay with it. Did she not see him attacked in the cafeteria at the beginning of the school year?!

"So how much trouble are you in exactly?" Warren asked, his voice low.

"I won't be able to go out anytime soon, but I'll be able to see you at school still."

Warren nodded, accepting her answer. "I'll be back on Monday."

In the meantime, Ethan was giving a round of high-fives to those who had stayed to help clean up. Magenta was trying hard not to smile at the silliness of the whole situation, but gave in when Zach picked her up and twirled her around.

Will huffed impatiently and Warren sent over a glare, his eyes flicking up to the Commander with signs of distrust written all over his features. He had thankfully kept his distance for the remainder of the evening, his dislike of Will miniscule compared to his dislike of the man who put his father in jail, even if his dad did deserve it.

Layla took a step closer, gaining his attention back to her. She smiled up at him sweetly and he couldn't help but smile back, bringing his hand up to wrap around the back of her neck. The two teenagers stared at each other for what felt like several minutes before Warren moved his face closer, Layla's eyes closing...

"Ahem!" coughed Will's dad, making Layla jump apart from her... oh, whatever he was. She glanced over and smiled sheepishly, the older man giving her and Warren a stern look.

Will looked like he was going to be sick.

"It's best you get home son." The older man said, walking forward and placing a protective hand on Layla's shoulder.

Warren's eyes narrowed but he didn't argue, instead muttering a "goodnight" to Layla, completely ignoring everyone else. He turned and sauntered away, his shoulders slouched as always.

"Let's get you home," the Commander said, turning to the other students. "You all have fun at the dance."

"But-" Will started, moving forward toward his best friend and father.

He was cut off by a glare, and he slowly stepped back toward the group.

Magenta rushed forward and hugged her friend quickly.

"You are freaking awesome!" she whispered, pulling back with a grin. Layla smirked in response, telling her friends to have fun while waving them off.

She wasn't at all disappointed about not being able to go to the dance, she mused. Tonight had definitely been worth any punishment. It was time that Gwen was put into her place, and Warren was right. Nobody had the guts to stand up to her. Instead they just let her walk all over them. But tonight showed that sidekicks could be just as powerful as heroes, inside and out.

She only hoped that school wouldn't be terrible come Monday.

Not only did she have the wrath of Gwen to watch out for, but now most of the student population probably thought she was some sort of freaky psycho. She had a feeling Warren wasn't completely joking when he told her what he had overheard some of them saying.

She got in the passenger seat of the Commander's car, putting on her seatbelt silently. Will's family had always been like her own and vice versa. She knew enough about the older man sitting next to her to know that he was disappointed in her, but the way he kept sending appreciative glances her way let her know that he was a bit proud of her display of power, even under the circumstances.

All too soon they reached Layla's house, her mom already standing at the door. Layla groaned when she could tell even from the car that she was less than amused.

"Thanks Mr. Stronghold," Layla mumbled, opening the car door.

"Layla," the older man called before she had a chance to shut the door. Seeing as he had her attention, he continued, his features hard although his eyes were warm and protective.

"Be good."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Being grounded for attacking a fellow classmate wasn't nearly as bad as Layla expected. Things weren't exactly great with her parents at the moment, but she was sure that if she gave it time then those disappointed looks they kept shooting her would eventually go away. She knew that her recent type of behavior wasn't how she was raised, but she couldn't bring herself to regret what she did to Gwen.

Besides, solitary confinement in her room also allowed her time to think. Seriously think about her friendship with Will, and if her relationship with Warren was worth the possibility of losing her best friend. In her heart she knew it wasn't, but there was something about the older teenager that drew her to him. He liked to put a front, but she knew that somewhere in side he really did care about her, at least, why would he even bother if he didn't? She just wished that everyone else could see it. Then maybe she wouldn't have to make such tough choices.

Soon enough Monday morning came. Layla couldn't help the excitement bubbling inside at the thought of seeing Warren again. She wondered if he would acknowledge her in public? Sure, he was cool about it the night of Homecoming, but that was in front of a group of her friends. Would he act differently when the whole school was watching?

She knew he didn't appreciate any unnecessary attention, and she didn't particularly enjoy the spotlight either. But still…

The ride to school felt excruciating. Her nerves were starting to get the best of her, imagining all the possibilities of what the day would bring. Her comfort came in the form of her friends, who tried to distract her the best ways they knew how. Ethan tried telling her about a new television show he discovered, but seeing as how Layla wasn't allowed to watch TV for another month, the conversation soon came to a lull. Zach cracked a few not so funny jokes before Magenta gave him a death glare, in which he promptly shut up. The other girl gave Layla a small reassuring smile.

The bus finally landed and Layla immediately spotted Warren waiting for her, not quite in the hustle of students near the entrance of the building, but not completely aloof as usual. She could tell from his tense stance that he would rather have been anywhere else at the moment. She watched as he fixed a glare in the direction of anyone who looked his way.

The look of distaste didn't leave his features even after he spotted who he was looking for.

"This place sucks," he stated as she walked up to him, a hesitant smile on her face.

"Well, you burn it down and I'll hide the evidence," she quipped back, a thrill of excitement shooting down her spine in response to his laugh.

He shook his head, looking down to study her for a moment.

"Come on, let's get this day over with."

His longer legs caused her to take more steps, almost rushing to keep up with him. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his own. He immediately slowed, looking down at them briefly before sending her an amused glance.

She smiled in response.

"So do you think anyone will talk about us today?" she asked, trying to ignore the curious and somewhat confused looks she could see out of the corner of her eye.

"Probably. But she's had it coming for a long time."

Layla looked up at him, confused. "She?"

Warren opened the front door to the school, pausing and looking at her strangely.

"Yeah, you and Gwen?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, feeling a bit flustered that she would have to explain further. Was she making whatever it was between them a bigger deal than it really was?

"I meant us… as in me and you…"

"Us?" Warren questioned, eyebrows furrowing.

Layla pulled her arm up, bringing their intertwined hands up to eyelevel. Well, her eyelevel anyway.

"Us." She confirmed, her voice much more confident that she felt inside.

A grin spread across his face, half serious and half amused.

"Oh, is there an _us_?"

Layla could feel an embarrassed blush rapidly spreading.

"Uh…" she stuttered. She tried to pull her hand away but he held on tight.

Just then the warning bell rang, reminding students that class was to start in ten minutes.

"Do you want there to be?" he questioned further, less amused and more serious this time.

"I don't know…" she replied honestly, biting her lip when his eyes darkened just a little.

Warren dropped her hand, and Layla immediately missed the warmth. She had a feeling she just royally screwed up with her answer. Maybe she should've said yes and then thought about the ramifications later?

When he placed a hand at her waist she jumped, already having pictured him turning and skulking away. Instead he wrapped his arm around her in a half sort of hug, bent his head down, and kissed her.

It wasn't a long and passionate kiss by any means. He only held his lips to hers for a few seconds before pulling away, but it was enough. Reassuring.

"Find me when you figure it out." He stated, slowly letting her go and taking a few steps back.

Layla nodded mutely, still a bit stunned.

Seeing his affect on her Warren grinned, causing a few passing students to stare in wonder. Layla simply stood watching until he turned and walked around the corner, out of sight.

Only then did she let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding, allowing herself a small smile. She turned to head to her locker, letting out a small annoyed sigh when she saw what was waiting for her.

There was Will, and by the looks of things, he had just witnessed the entire encounter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Layla sighed seeing her best friend watching her from across the hall. He didn't seem upset, which was a good thing, right? In fact, he even looked pretty calm by Will's standards when it came to Warren Peace, and for that she was thankful.

She decided to make the first move, seeing how it was safe to approach. Not that she would run away or anything, but sitting through another "he's bad for you" lecture wasn't high on her to do list today.

She walked over slowly, winding her way between the chatting students. He gave her a small smile as she approached, and she returned it with a hesitant one of her own.

"Hey," she said nervously, readjusting her bag so it sat better on her shoulder.

"Long weekend?" he questioned, referring to her recent incarceration.

"Something like that," she smirked, watching as he fingered a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. He seemed content on the outside, but by the way he was avoiding eye contact made her a bit suspicious. She knew he was on the brink of letting something spill, what that was exactly, Layla wasn't exactly sure she wanted to hear it.

"So you guys are officially together then?" Will asked, cutting to the chase. He glanced up almost shyly, his eyes inquiring. Layla studied his features for a moment, looking for any signs of anger or resentment. Finding none, she decided to answer his question honestly.

"Yeah, I guess so." Layla replied, her voice mostly confident. She watched his face closely, waiting for the moment when he was going to blow up at her for not following his advice.

He only nodded in acceptance, to her surprise, looking down once again only this time to study his shoes. She knew enough of him by now to know that he was in deep thought.

"You know I don't like him," he said, more of a statement to himself rather than the girl standing in front of him, but Layla answered him anyway.

"I know," she replied, feeling a bit awkward just standing there while he avoided her gaze. She shifted her weight onto her other foot, readjusting her bag again when it slipped from the movement.

"He seems to like you too," he said, his words a bit stilted, as if he was holding back… or afraid to say the words. Layla could sense that he truly meant the words he was saying, but his tone suggested that he didn't really _want_ to mean them.

"Are you giving me permission?" Layla teased, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah, I guess so," he joked back, mocking her earlier statement.

"Not that I need it," she continued smiling despite the warning tone in her voice. It was nice that he wanted to look out for her, but she was a big girl and could take care of herself… it was about time Will realized that too.

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I just care about you, that's all."

Layla felt her throat close up and went to hug the boy standing in front of her but he moved back suddenly, holding one hand up.

"Um, no. If I get hit with a giant fireball for touching you then the deal's off."

Layla rolled her eyes and went for the hug anyway.

"You have my permission to throw him through the wall again."

Will grinned and Layla laughed at his gleeful expression.

"It's about time you two made up!"

The two teenagers exchanged greetings at their friends.

"We missed you man!" Zach stated, reaching his hand out and doing that complicated hand shake that only guys seem to know how to do.

Magenta rolled her eyes at the display. "Men…" she muttered.

"So what's with you? Girly finally dump the Peace?" the blonde questioned.

"Not exactly," Layla stated, giving Magenta the 'I'll tell you later' look at her friend's inquiring glance.

"They were practically making out in the hall five minutes ago," Will said, rolling his eyes.

"We were not!" Layla exclaimed, pushing her friend. Will teetered only slightly, a smirk fixed on his face.

"Nice!" Zach said, holding up a hand for the redhead to slap.

Both girls looked at the teen disbelievingly, causing him to lower his hand slowly in embarrassment.

"Me Warren. You Layla. I make fire!" Will teased in a caveman voice. The boys laughed as Layla let out a shriek in response, slapping her best friend on the arm.

A/N: Again, sorry for the lack of updates. This story should be over soon, but I don't know. We'll see where it takes me. If you have any ideas, let me know. Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to review :)


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: IMPORTANT! Before I begin, I want to point out that I went through and changed a few things in previous chapters. Instead of Layla telling Will that she liked him, I omitted that part although her feelings toward him obviously still took place. I also edited the "group" date to seem less date-like for her and Will. The reasoning behind this is I never intended for it to seem like Will was actually interested in Layla and reading back through my chapters, I realized that is how it came across. They're just very close friends. You may want to go back and read it with fresh eyes, but that's up to you :)

**Chapter 15**

The day couldn't drag on any longer than it possibly had all morning. By the time the class was dismissed for lunch, Layla one step away from jumping out of her chair and screaming all the way down the hallway. Ok, maybe not that dramatic but she did feel she was starting to go just a little crazy.

After Will's _permission_, she was finally comfortable to make a final decision in the matter of her and Warren's relationship. He may have been a pleasant distraction (alright, maybe not a complete distraction but you know…) to her troubles with Will, but she was really starting to feel something more for the older teen. She actually _liked_ him. Not in a 'he's so hot!' kind of way, but rather she looked forward to his company.

Sure, her feelings for Will probably wouldn't go away any time soon, but it was ok. She would move on, and they would be friends until the end. Just like it was always meant to be.

Besides, now that word got around that Will was dumped (besides his best efforts to convince everyone that _he_ did the dumping) girls were practically throwing themselves at him. Maybe it was the super strength that made all the girls swoon. Most likely it was that Will, no matter how much Gwen disliked the idea now that they were no longer together, was extremely popular. And anyone hanging off his arm was sure to get noticed.

Layla felt a little bad for her friend. She certainly did not want him to get used again, but it didn't seem like Will minded the extra attention for the time being.

She picked up her usual at lunch: a salad with an apple on the side while her friends salivated at today's menu of greasy cheeseburgers.

She frowned when, after paying for her lunch, she looked toward Warren's typical table and he was not there. In the few months they had been attending Sky High, he was always sitting there. Same table, same seat. Always.

Someone nudged her with their tray from behind and she moved forward, a bit hesitant. She made her way over to the table and looked around curiously, still not spotting the surly teen.

"Where's the boyfriend?" Zach questioned, setting his tray down a bit clumsy and shifting everything on it to one side.

Layla shrugged her shoulder, trying to look indifferent but failing.

"Everything's ok, right? You didn't say anything…" Magenta asked, sitting beside her friend.

"I haven't seen him since this morning. He didn't say anything about missing lunch," Layla responded. She had to admit, she was really disappointed because all morning she was looking forward to seeing him.

"Maybe he got held up in class?" her friend offered while shooting Zach a disgusted look as he shoved a handful of fries in his mouth.

"Well, Gwen's just made her presence known so we know he didn't try to kill her again!" he stated after swallowing his mouthful of food. Gwen had, in fact, just stepped into the cafeteria, her nose so high up in the air she could have been sniffing out clouds.

"Ew! Chew with your mouth closed!" Magenta snapped, hitting him on the arm.

"Dear God woman! What's with the abuse today?"

"_Anyway_," Magenta said with a roll of her eyes, completely ignoring Zach's protests, "I'm sure there's a good explanation."

Zach and Ethan looked doubtful.

"Hey guys!"

The three friends turned to Will who approached their table with ease. Before sitting down he glanced back toward Gwen's table only to find her glaring at him with as much hate as she could muster. He quickly averted his eyes and his attention was back to his friends.

"This is Krista, she's in one of my classes."

Everyone peeked around Will to see a girl their own age, light brown hair and pretty blue eyes. Layla felt a stab of jealously for a second before she willed it away, her thoughts drifting back to Warren.

"Hey, I'm Zach and this is my old lady," the platinum blonde said, pointing to Magenta. Layla tried not to laugh as her friend shot him the dirtiest look she had ever seen.

"I remember you guys from the first day of school," Krista smiled warmly. "You can turn into a hamster."

"Guinea pig actually," Magenta corrected a bit snottily, then changed her tone seeing Will's pleading expression to be nice. "But it's the same thing really…" she muttered.

"And that's Ethan," Will introduced, the small boy giving the newcomer a shy wave. She smiled in return and Layla thought for a second that he might turn into goo, but he refrained.

"I'm Layla," she said, introducing herself with a small wave and smile of her own.

"I know," Krista replied, giving her a grin. "You're the one who attacked Gwen. That was so cool!"

The rest of the table grinned, recalling the memory.

"You know, she dated my brother last year," stated Krista while opening her bottle of juice. "She was constantly putting him down and being so rude to all his friends. I don't know how anyone can stand her."

"Join the club," spoke up Magenta, warming up just the slightest bit.

"Yeah, well…" Will trailed off, having been the only one truly close to Gwen. He had flushed a bit and the rest of the table either chuckled or sent him sympathetic looks.

"So Krista, what's your power?" Zach asked, wiping his fingers on his shirt rather than the napkin directly in front of him, much to Magenta's chagrin. Obviously she was training him up for boyfriend material.

"Oh, I'm a crystal ball," she replied, completely serious.

The table, apart from Will of course, stared at her.

She giggled a bit and then clarified her answer. "Not like literally, but I can see what someone is doing at any certain time. I try to only use it for emergencies, because it can get kind of embarrassing to catch someone in the bathroom and stuff like that."

"Um, I don't get it. So-"

"You can see _anyone_?" Magenta asked, cutting off Zach from what she was sure to be a stupid question.

"Pretty much, yeah." Krista replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Magenta smiled wickedly at Layla, then turned back to the girl in front of her.

"How about Warren Peace?"

"_Warren Peace_?" questioned Krista, confused.

"Yeah, what's he doing right now?" the dark-haired girl questioned. Layla kicked Magenta's foot under the table but the other girl did not take the hint, still looking expectantly at the newcomer.

"Um…" Krista said, obviously confused. She looked toward Will who was not paying attention to her, but who was fixed on Layla's embarrassment.

"What's wrong with you and Warren?" he questioned.

Seeing as Magenta would not stop staring her down until she performed the task, Krista had already gone into a trance-like mode, her eyes glazing over slightly as Will asked this question. She came to only seconds later, blinking a view times as if to clear her vision.

"He's in Principal Powers' office."

"What's he doing there?" Magenta questioned, "Did he get into trouble again?"

Krista shrugged apologetically, having not looked that far into the scenario but before anyone could get into any specifics, Layla stood up, gathering her tray.

"Um, what's going on?" Will asked, clearly confused.

"That's what I'm going to find out," Layla replied, already heading toward the doors.

A/N: So… long time no see! I apologize a million times over for taking so long to update. I really have no good excuse. I think I've finally got my inspiration back so hopefully the plot will come to me a lot more smoothly. Anyway, I have one more BIG thing planned for this story that is going to extend it far past the 2-3 chapters I thought would be left, but I think it'll be worth it. We'll see where it goes from there. Thanks for reviewing guys, YOU are my biggest inspiration! :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

There were still ten minutes left to the lunch period, and Layla made her way to the front office hoping that Warren would be released before that timeframe so she could get to the bottom of things.

There was the question as to why he was meeting with Principal Powers. What happened? Surely there would've been talk around the school by now if there was another altercation. The only person Layla could think of that Warren would have a bone to pick with was Gwen, and she obviously was unharmed.

Leaning against the lockers next to the office, she didn't have to wait long before the door opened slowly and the older teen walked out, followed by Principal Powers.

At first glace Warren looked less that amused at his current predicament. His features were scowling, and his jaw kept clenching as if he was angered enough to say something, but biting his tongue instead.

"Remember what I suggested, Mr. Peace."

He wisely did not reply, not trusting the words that could possibly come out of his mouth. His eyes snapped to Layla as he finally noticed her standing there, his eyes still hard and his lips forming a narrow line on his face.

"Ms. Williams, can I help you with something?" Principal Powers questioned, having too noticed the freshman.

"Um, no Mrs. Powers. I was just waiting on Warren because he wasn't at lunch…" she trailed off, not really having a valid explanation for hanging outside the office. She hoped the older woman would accept her answer without question; students were not normally permitted to wander the halls during lunch hour unless they had extra studying to do.

"Mr. Peace and I were just having a little chat, but I'm glad you came by. There is something I wish to discuss with you as well," she stated, turning back toward Warren. "You may finish up your lunch period now, Warren."

At being dismissed, the older teen promptly turned around and stalking toward the cafeteria in a huff, not giving Layla a second glance. She was able to admit that him not acknowledging her other than an annoyed stare kind of hurt, but he did look angry at whatever "chat" Mrs. Powers was referring to so she dismissed it as nothing personal.

She didn't realize that she was staring after Warren's retreating form until the principal snapped her out of her trance by asking her to come inside her office.

A bit nervously, Layla followed the older woman inside and sat at one of the chairs she was motioned to in front of her desk. Once seated, the woman sitting in front of her _seemed_ friendly enough, her expression light which helped to ease Layla's nerves a little bit. Her eyes were a bit stern, however, which most likely meant this was not going to be a completely cheerful conversation. Was it for the same reason she called Warren into her office?

"I was informed over the weekend about your… incident this weekend with Ms. Grayson," Principal Powers started, getting right to the point.

Layla cringed and looked down at her hands. She could handle the disappointment from the Commander and her parents because she had grown up with them, but a lecture coming from the principal of her school brought a whole different level of shame to the situation.

"One of the most important lessons we teach you here at Sky High is that _heroes_ always use discretion with their powers. You were lucky Mr. Stronghold was there to help smooth things over."

Layla nodded, her fingers twisting them hem of her shirt. Her nervous habit paused briefly when she realized what exactly Mrs. Powers had said.

"_Hero_?" Layla questioned, raising her eyes to meet those of her superior.

Mrs. Powers smiled slightly at Layla's question, as if remembering an inside joke.

"Yes, Miss Williams. I want you to consider starting hero training with us. With a power as potent as yours, it will do you good to learn how to use control and judgment. It would be nice to see you at your full potential, and hero classes can prepare you much better than hero support ever could."

Transfer? To hero classes? Layla bit her lip in thought, a million thoughts racing through her mind. What would she tell her friends? Would they be furious with her? She remembered how betrayed a few of them felt when Will transferred, although they never outright said it. She knew like her best friend they would be happy for her, but extremely jealous at the same time. And what did she mean by full potential? She controlled plants. Surely there was nothing spectacular about that?

"It's up to you of course," Principal Powers continued, giving the younger girl a warm smile. "But I would highly suggest it. Do you have any questions?"

"Um…" Layla trailed, understanding the reasoning behind the request but not exactly warm to the idea. She had no idea what to say, to be completely honest.

"I'll tell you what, how about you try out hero class for the rest of the week, and we'll talk again on Friday and you can let me know what you decide then. Sound fair?" Principal Powers questioned, sensing her hesitance.

"Okay," Layla agreed, wondering how on earth she should go about telling her friends this. Will would be thrilled, this much she knew. If all else failed, at least she knew he would be there for support.

"Great!" the older woman stated with a bright smile. "Come in tomorrow morning and the front desk will have your new schedule ready for you. I really hope you do consider this, however. I think it would be very beneficial to you."

Layla nodded and moved to stand up, sensing the end of their conversation, but the elder's next words caught her a bit off guard and she fell slightly back into her seat.

"One more thing, Miss Williams."

"Yes?" Layla questioned, nerves reacting again as Mrs. Powers' expression once again became stern.

"Do try to refrain from attacking fellow students, school grounds or not. There is a thin line between being a hero and a villain, and while I do not think you to be the latter, here at Sky High we try everything to our ability to make sure you are using yours for good rather than harm."

Layla, abashed, sat in her seat and nodded.

"You're a good student, Miss Williams. I expect nothing less of you from now on," the woman stated, her eyes once again friendly. There seemed to be an underlying emotion in them, however.

"Unfortunately, we cannot save _all_ our students, but it would be good for someone like you to set a good example for them," she finished, smiling at the younger girl, the peculiar expression still marring her features.

As Layla headed to her next class after leaving the principal's office, she couldn't help but think that Mrs. Powers' last comments were possibly referring to a certain reclusive student, one who had been sitting the same very seat she had been in a very short time ago.

A/N: Sort of a filler chapter. What do you think about Layla making the change from sidekick to hero? I haven't fully decided on if she actually will or not.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Layla was not able to talk to Warren for the rest of the day, despite her best attempts. She did manage to spot him a few times, but he was always too far along for her to get to unless she decided to yell out his name, and she wasn't quite that desperate yet.

After meeting with Mrs. Powers, her day pretty much went in a downward spiral. She had told Magenta about starting hero classes after lunch, and while the other girl didn't seem irritated in the least, you could tell there was a little disappointment.

"_Did you find Warren?" Magenta asked, having not seen her friend directly after lunch. The two girls were sitting in the classroom, seconds away from the bell signaling to start their lessons._

"_Yes, but only for a minute. He was just coming out of Principal Powers' office, and we didn't have a chance to talk. He looked kind of mad, though."_

"_Do you think he got into trouble for something?"_

"_I don't know. I'm hoping I can catch him later after school, but I'm not sure how."_

"_You could always just look in the phone book, find where he lives?" Magenta suggested._

"_Like he doesn't think I'm creepy enough already always following him around," Layla said, smiling a bit at the suggestion. Magenta just rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders._

"_So what took you so long then?"_

_Layla opened her mouth, about to respond when the bell suddenly rang, cutting off their means of communication for now. The girls turned back around in their seats, waiting for Mr. Boy to start today's lesson._

_When the topic became a bit boring, Magenta leaned over to Layla, whispering softly as to not alert their teacher._

"_Well?"_

"_After he came out of the office, Mrs. Powers said she wanted to talk with me."_

"_Are you serious? About what?"_

"_About what I did to Gwen Saturday night…"_

_Magenta looked horrified, clearly not thinking her friend would get into any major trouble. At least, not anymore than she was already in at home._

"_What happened? What did she say?"_

"_She just told me not to let it happen again and to be a good role model for students."_

"_Wow… so are you in trouble?"_

"_I don't think so… but I think Warren is."_

"_Does she think he had something to do with it?"_

"_She didn't say, but she talked about something to do with villains and I don't know, it was just a little weird. I have a feeling she was talking about him but I don't know what it has to do with me."_

"_Maybe she thinks you'd be a good influence?"_

"_But why, Warren's never in any trouble."_

"_Um, except for when he attacked Will and Gwen," Magenta stated, her expression dubious._

"_Oh… right."_

"_So is that all she said?"_

"_Well, no."_

"_What else?"_

_Layla hesitated, not sure how to go about tell one of her best friends that she was no longer going to be in the same class as her. Well, if she decided to take the hero route, anyway._

"_She asked me to switch classes… to hero classes."_

"_What?"_

_This last question was exclaimed rather enthusiastically, earning them a glare from Mr. Boy. _

"_Ladies, do I need to separate you two?" Mr. Boy wasn't known for being the most stern of teachers, but when it came to talking in class, he was particularly strict to the rules. Perhaps it was due to the years of pent up frustration of never being able to live out the glory of being The Commander's sidekick._

_The two girls shook their heads, attempting to look innocent. Their teacher gave them one last stern look before returning to his rambling on something or another._

_Once she felt it was safe, Layla leaned over once again and whispered to her friend, an apologetic look on her face._

"_I'm supposed to start tomorrow, but she said I can decide at the end of the week if I actually want to or not."_

"_So are you?"_

_Layla shrugged in response._

"_I think you should."_

"_You do?"_

"_Yeah, I mean why not? You have an amazing power and let's face it, you aren't really sidekick material."_

"_But I like being a sidekick! I like being with you and Zach and Ethan…"_

"_And where is that going to get you?" Magenta asked dryly._

"_Ladies!"_

Although her friend encouraged her to take the hero classes, Magenta had been a little distant for the rest of the day. It was leaving Layla feeling bummed and alone. Krista was still following Will around, and she didn't feel like competing for some alone time with him in order to talk out her problems.

Warren would have been the perfect choice to come to, but again she was having no luck.

As she boarded the bus to go home, Layla tried not to reflect on her crummy day. It would be hard seeing as she was to report right home and would have nothing to occupy her time due to her punishment.

A knock on the window beside her jarred her out of her thoughts, surprising her enough to make her jump a little in her seat. She peered outside only to find the one person she had been trying to reach all day. He gave her a small wave and it was a scramble as she hurriedly opened up the window for him.

"Hey," Warren stated, smiling at her but looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Hi! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Yeah?" he questioned, seeming a little more interested.

As she was about to respond, the bus driver boarded the bus and told everyone to take their seats. Seeing as he was pressed for time, Warren continued.

"Can you be at the restaurant tonight when I get off?"

Layla gave him an apologetic look.

"I can't… Grounded, remember?"

"Oh, right. Would it be ok if I snuck over then?"

"Um… I guess not." Layla said, trying not to let her surprise take over. "Do you need my address?"

Warren smirked a little, shaking his head.

"I know where it is."

Layla gave him a funny look and she opened her mouth, calling out to him as the bus started.

Warren took a few steps back so that he wouldn't be in the way, a grin breaking out on his face at their little inside joke.

"_Stalking me?"_

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I meant to post this sooner because I've had this chapter finished for awhile now, but I wanted to wait until I had most of the next chapter already written out to make sure I was taking it in the direction I wanted to go. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm taking a couple writing classes this semester so I don't know how much time I'll have to sit down and add to this story but I'll do the best I can.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

It didn't occur to Layla until she got home that Warren never specified what time he would be getting off work. It also didn't occur to her how he was going to be able to contact her. Even if he did know where she lived, how would he know what room was her bedroom? Should she watch out for him and try to sneak outside?

By the end of the night she was feeling just a bit stressed and restless. Why did she agree to this?

Her parents had gone to bed around 15 minutes ago, after having made Layla promise she would call it a night shortly after. Earlier that day she had told them about her hero classes, so when it came time for bed she gave them a false excuse about having extra homework to catch up on in order to be prepared for her new classes.

She was sitting on her bed, which was closer to the window than her desk. She had a magazine spread open in front of her to keep her mind occupied, although she wasn't really taking anything in. She kept rereading the same sentences because each time she would try to concentrate, she found herself glancing out the window. Even the pictures could not hold her interest, the images just a swirl of color.

That said, it really should have been no surprise to see the dark figure slinking around her front yard, but the sight still made her jump slightly. She attempted to get off the bed to reach her window, tripping in the process. Her actions made a slight thump on the floor and she listened carefully to see if it alerted her parents. It didn't.

Once reaching the window (without more accidents), Layla opened it slowly and carefully. She could barely make out Warren's features from below her second-story perch, but she knew she had his attention.

Sticking her hand out, she made her palm parallel to the ground below and slowly raised her hand, feeling the power surge within. A small tree erupted from the earth, growing until its branches were tall and sturdy enough to hold her small frame.

Stepping onto the closest branch carefully, Layla held tight as she climbed down the tree, although through her connection with the plant life she knew that she would be protected from falling.

The lowest branch was about four feet from the base of the tree and as Layla was just preparing to jump, she felt a pair of strong arms circle her waist and pull her down carefully. She turned around as soon as her feet were safely on the ground.

"Thanks," she muttered, a bit disappointed when he dropped his arms.

He shrugged it off, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Sorry about today," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and not quite meeting her eyes. "I didn't mean to brush you off earlier, but I wasn't really in the mood to talk."

"What about now?" Layla asked, her tone inquiring.

Warren smirked slightly, looking up as if he was deeply contemplating her question.

"Not really," he shrugged, replying honestly.

"You always listen to me!" Layla protested, her voice light even though she was feeling a bit frustrated. Why did everything have to be such a mystery when it came to him?

"No, it's just easier to listen because you ramble more when you think I'm not," he smirked, teasing her.

She couldn't help but to smile a bit, knowing he was probably speaking the truth.

"So what did Powers want to speak with you about?" he asked, his eyes once again moving downcast. He was fishing for some kind of information, that much she could tell.

"Not much. Just got onto me about attacking Gwen and being a better role model. She wants me to start hero classes tomorrow and then she's going to let me decide after this week if I want to continue with them…"

"Not much?" Warren asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like a lot to me."

Layla giggled a bit, waving him off. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So hero classes, huh?"

"Yeah…" Layla said, letting it sink in.

"Guess now you can't be my sidekick."

At those words she laughed, hitting him on the arm slightly. He smiled back at her, evidentially pleased.

"What did she talk to _you_ about?" Layla asked, feeling it was safe enough to approach the subject.

Warren instantly sobered, his expression once again hard and serious.

"That bad?" she questioned, not needing him to express his emotions because they were written right on his face. He looked at her for a few moments, his expression still hard but his eyes conflicting. Almost like he wanted to tell her what was wrong, but not quite sure if he could trust her.

He surprised her by letting out a small sigh, and opening his mouth to speak.

"She wants me to start meeting with Mrs. Voyant."

"For what?" Layla questioned, her confusion evident. Claire Voyant was the school guidance counselor, and also a mind reader. She could read people's thoughts practically before they even thought them. When she was in her prime, she worked with the police force to catch common criminals, although she retired from that duty years ago in order to live a more relaxed lifestyle. Apparently the thoughts of teenagers were more settling than those of suspected felons.

"Because she thinks I'm screwed up. Everyone does," Warren answered, his features solemn.

"Well, maybe she just wants to you to talk about how you feel and stuff. You know, since you've gotten into so much trouble lately. Maybe Mrs. Powers just wants to make sure you're okay," Layla said, trying to reassure the other teen. She certainly didn't see that there was anything to worry about, but Warren seemed to sense an ulterior motive.

"Wants to make sure I'm not my dad, more likely!" Warren stated, a bitter edge to his words.

Layla was too shocked to speak. She had grown up in a loving home, but hearing someone else talk about a parent with so much resentment was a bit unsettling.

"Warren…" she whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.

His arms were folded across his chest in an almost defensive manner. When he didn't budge she took it a step further, coming closer to him and standing on the tips of her toes in order to reach up and wrap her arms around his shoulders.

His posture was still ridged, but after a few moments of the awkward hug he finally relaxed, dropping his arms from his chest and wrapping them around her middle.

The two teenagers stayed in this embrace for what felt like several minutes, not speaking but just drinking in the emotion.

"I should let you get to bed," Warren said moments later, reluctantly pulling away from the redhead.

"Okay," she replied, looking down at their entwined hands.

Warren tilted her face up gently so that he was able to look into her eyes before closing them as he leaned forward to give her a small kiss. It was not passionate by any means, but it was enough for the moment. Layla felt a thrill of excitement shoot all the way from her lips to her toes at the contact.

"See you tomorrow," he whispered, letting his hand drop from her chin.

He helped her climb back up to the lowest branch of the tree, watching her as she slowly made her way back to her window. Before she stepping through the ledge, she turned back to look down on him.

"Hey Warren?" she called out softly, watching his inquiring eyes.

"Yeah?" he called back up at her, straining his neck to see.

"Everything will be alright, you'll see."

He didn't answer, but she knew he heard. And as Layla crawled back through her window and turned around to shut the glass frame, the light from her bedroom illuminated her silhouette, giving her an almost ethereal glow.

Warren had never seen anything quite as beautiful.

A/N: I wrote this a couple months ago and I haven't gone back through to read it, so I apologize if there are any mistakes. I was hoping to post this when I had the majority of the story already finished, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon. I only have part of the next chapter written, so tell me what you think and hopefully it'll jumpstart some inspiration.


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